Champions Ahly will be eyeing a return to their winning ways when they face rivals Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League on Tuesday. Ahly, who already secured the league title for the third time in a row with six weeks to spare last month, missed their 17th consecutive league victory after holding to a 0-0 draw in their last match against Smouha. The Reds are currently on top with a massive 19-point lead ahead of second-placed Ismaily. Wadi Degla are fifteenth with 30 points. Ahly, who reached the Egypt Cup quarter-finals after Friday's 2-0 win over Dakhleya, will be boosted by the return of some key players like striker Walid Azaro and defender Saad Samir after they recover from their injuries. The Cairo giants will continue to miss the services of the injured defense trio Rami Rabia, Ali Maaloul and Mohamed Naguib, as well as that of their midfielder Hossam Ashour, as none of them have yet recovered. Ahly's coach Hossam El-Badry, who blamed the players' lack of motivation for the Smouha draw, will be resting key right-back Ahmed Fathi in the match against Degla. Additionally, first choice keeper Mohamed El-Shenawi will be unavailable, paving the way for veteran keeper Sherif Ekramy to return back between the sticks. On the other hand, Wadi Degla will be eyeing a morale-boosting result after securing just one win in their last six league matches. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
